E.ON pays £3.1m after its agents missed appointments

Press release

Publication date

E.ON is paying £1.2m to customers and will pay £1.9m to energy charities, following engagement with Ofgem, because it failed to compensate customers when its agents missed appointments as required by the Guaranteed Standards.

In 2014 E.ON came forward to Ofgem, reporting it had missed some appointments with customers, and hadn’t then paid compensation to affected customers as required by the Guaranteed Standards.

Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards require suppliers to meet minimum standards of customer service, including when they need to visit customers’ premises. If suppliers fall short of these standards, they must pay customers compensation. 

After E.ON volunteered this information to Ofgem, we were able to work with them to make improvements and agree a redress package rather than take formal enforcement action. 

The supplier has improved its customer services processes and will make sure that, when things go wrong, customers receive the compensation they’re entitled to. 

E.ON has already paid £1.2m to affected customers. The company will also pay £1.9m to charity to help consumers in need. This includes helping service personnel through National Energy Action’s ‘Help for Heroes’ scheme.

Ofgem’s Chief Executive Dermot Nolan said:

“E.ON fell well short of the high standards we expect for consumers when it missed appointments and then failed to compensate customers”.

“It’s crucial that suppliers provide their customers with a fast and effective service, and make amends when things go wrong.” 

Notes to editors

Ofgem’s supplier Guaranteed Standards set specific customer service standards, in particular where suppliers need to visit a customer’s premises. Where a supplier fails to meet a performance standard, they must pay compensation to the affected customer. The current supplier Guaranteed Standards are found in the Electricity and Gas (Standards of Performance) (Suppliers) Regulations 2015, which superseded the requirements on suppliers under the Gas (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2005 and the Electricity (Standards of Performance) Regulations 2010 (which were in force at the time of the failures in question).

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Further information

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